After my last post, I met a man named "Joy". His given name was very long. He showed it to me on a legal paper. It appeared to be Indian. Prandath something. He told me most people called him "Joy".
He had been sitting at the computer terminal beside me as I blogged. When I got up to leave, he whispered, "Madam, can you help me please?" He had a very sweet, musical voice. He seemed to be in his early 30's. He was holding a packet of papers.
I turned around and nodded. He said he was new in town and would be taking custody of his son. But he was temporarily homeless. He asked if I knew where the men's shelter was downtown. I had heard of it, I told him. But it was nearly 8:00 p.m. From my last experience helping a homeless woman in crisis, I had learned that shelters in Vancouver close early in the evening.
I looked up the shelter he mentioned on my phone. It said it closed at 7:00 p.m. and reopened in the morning. I tried calling. No answer.
I asked him if he would like me to call 2-1-1. He said, "Yes, please".
I dialed the number. And sat on hold eternally. He looked at me sadly. I told him I was on hold. Just then we heard a voice on the loudspeaker saying the library would close in 5 minutes.
I motioned to him to follow me. We went up to the information desk. I told the young lady that I was seeking help for my friend who was temporarily homeless. She grabbed some papers. I had seen the one pamphlet. It suggested calling 2-1-1. I sighed and pointed to my phone. "Eternally hold", I mouthed.
She grimaced. But she pointed out the other paper. Which stated that the first and third Mondays, the Vancouver Library hosted a resource and information class for homeless people. They even helped them with supplies.
I gave Joy the papers. He grinned with delight. "I will come back here!", he said.
The library was now closing. I wished him luck. He reached for my hand and grasped it.
"Thank you Madam", he said, looking into my eyes. "God bless you!"
I hadn't done much. But his gratitude warmed my heart.
At this grandmotherly phase of my life, I regularly get asked for help from people I meet: On buses, at bus stops, on the streets and in the library.
It used to be in days of my female prime, that when a male of the human species approached me, he was attempting to pick me up. There would be a greeting, a line of some sort and than an attempt to get my phone number.
This new phase is quite refreshing! I would much rather give assistance then ward off wolves!
On a totally different note, I am thoroughly enjoying this Fall day. It is perfect: Blue skies, falling leaves, but cold and crisp. I feel quite alive!
Today is Reformation Sunday. The day that Protestants celebrate Martin Luther's tacking the 95 theses on the door of the Catholic church. I wrote a little article about Luther and his hymn "A Mighty Fortress is Our God".
I played the hymn twice today: Once on the organ as a prelude and once on the piano as a postlude. Knowing a bit of the history of the writing of the hymn, gave me a deeper appreciation of the music.
Here it is:
I've been asked to write a monthly column for the church newsletter. I am really excited about this!
And finally, today is my son's fiancee's birthday. She was previously his girlfriend, and mother of his baby in utero. But he proposed to her today.
And she said "YES!"
A very good day indeed!
Happy Sunday!
Talk to you soon!
Love,
Zita
And yes, I am still hooping! Below is proof of Day 176!
He had been sitting at the computer terminal beside me as I blogged. When I got up to leave, he whispered, "Madam, can you help me please?" He had a very sweet, musical voice. He seemed to be in his early 30's. He was holding a packet of papers.
I turned around and nodded. He said he was new in town and would be taking custody of his son. But he was temporarily homeless. He asked if I knew where the men's shelter was downtown. I had heard of it, I told him. But it was nearly 8:00 p.m. From my last experience helping a homeless woman in crisis, I had learned that shelters in Vancouver close early in the evening.
I looked up the shelter he mentioned on my phone. It said it closed at 7:00 p.m. and reopened in the morning. I tried calling. No answer.
I asked him if he would like me to call 2-1-1. He said, "Yes, please".
I dialed the number. And sat on hold eternally. He looked at me sadly. I told him I was on hold. Just then we heard a voice on the loudspeaker saying the library would close in 5 minutes.
I motioned to him to follow me. We went up to the information desk. I told the young lady that I was seeking help for my friend who was temporarily homeless. She grabbed some papers. I had seen the one pamphlet. It suggested calling 2-1-1. I sighed and pointed to my phone. "Eternally hold", I mouthed.
She grimaced. But she pointed out the other paper. Which stated that the first and third Mondays, the Vancouver Library hosted a resource and information class for homeless people. They even helped them with supplies.
I gave Joy the papers. He grinned with delight. "I will come back here!", he said.
The library was now closing. I wished him luck. He reached for my hand and grasped it.
"Thank you Madam", he said, looking into my eyes. "God bless you!"
I hadn't done much. But his gratitude warmed my heart.
At this grandmotherly phase of my life, I regularly get asked for help from people I meet: On buses, at bus stops, on the streets and in the library.It used to be in days of my female prime, that when a male of the human species approached me, he was attempting to pick me up. There would be a greeting, a line of some sort and than an attempt to get my phone number.
This new phase is quite refreshing! I would much rather give assistance then ward off wolves!
On a totally different note, I am thoroughly enjoying this Fall day. It is perfect: Blue skies, falling leaves, but cold and crisp. I feel quite alive!
Today is Reformation Sunday. The day that Protestants celebrate Martin Luther's tacking the 95 theses on the door of the Catholic church. I wrote a little article about Luther and his hymn "A Mighty Fortress is Our God".
I played the hymn twice today: Once on the organ as a prelude and once on the piano as a postlude. Knowing a bit of the history of the writing of the hymn, gave me a deeper appreciation of the music.
Here it is:
Martin Luther's "A Mighty Fortress is Our God"
by
Zita Jefferson
10/18/2019
Psalm 46:1-3 (KJV)
1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof
Today being Reformation Sunday, it would seem only fitting to discuss the hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” written by the German monk Martin Luther (1483-1546).
During Martin Luther’s lifetime, "Reformation Sunday" was not a thing. The Protestant Reformation began with the 95 Theses that Martin Luther tacked on a church door in 1517. But Reformation Sunday was not officially recognized until 1667.
In his day, Luther was quite controversial. One
person said Martin Luther was a "demon in the appearance of a man."
Another who first questioned Luther's theology later declared, "He alone
is right!"
Today
we recognize that he was not only right about a great deal, but he
"changed the course of Western history for the better".
Martin Luther felt strongly about the connection between scripture and congregational singing:
“Music is a far and lovely gift of God...Next after theology, I give to music the highest place and the greatest honor. I would not exchange what little I know of music for something great. Experience proves that, next to the Word of God, only music deserves to be extolled as the mistress and governess of the feelings of the human heart.” ~ Martin Luther
(“Martin Luther’s Shelter Amid the Flood of Depression” Ryan Griffin, 7/6/2017)
Sadly, Luther had many struggles in his life. Scholars are uncertain of exactly which troubles he was dealing with when he wrote "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God". One event was the outbreak of the plague in Wittenberg in 1527. Luther and his family were ordered to leave, but he refused because he felt that the Church was responsible to care for the sick. Another painful event was the death of his infant daughter, Elizabeth. He spent 6 months in prayer, begging for her life to be spared. During this and other painful times, he read the Bible and turned to God in prayer. During one of his times of depression, his attention suddenly fell on Psalm 46. He found great comfort in this psalm. The words to “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” are based on this psalm, which became one of the most famous and most loved hymn of Lutherans and Protestants. It has been translated into many languages.
“A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” has been called “The Battle Hymn of the Reformation”, but to Martin Luther it was a hymn of comfort, lifting him up from a very dark time in his life.
I've been asked to write a monthly column for the church newsletter. I am really excited about this!
And finally, today is my son's fiancee's birthday. She was previously his girlfriend, and mother of his baby in utero. But he proposed to her today.
And she said "YES!"
A very good day indeed!
Happy Sunday!
Talk to you soon!
Love,
Zita
And yes, I am still hooping! Below is proof of Day 176!
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